A Needed Change

Chapter ⁴

"Oh, no. What did you do?" Rhodey joked.

"I got a signature. All I need is Peter to accept." He smiled.

"Um. Accept what?" I asked worried. I didn't want to go back. I don't want to go to an orphanage. I don't want to leave.

He said nothing, just handing me some papers. I gave him a puzzled look, but it completely changed into a surprised one.

"Tony, are you sure? You haven't even talked to Steve about it."

"He's not here so he can kiss my ass. I'm going to get this kid."

"Yes." I blurted out ignoring that Rhodey had talked about Steve. I know that he meant well but he had almost killed Tony, the one who meant the most to me.

"Sorry, I was just freaking out because I thought you were going to send me away and I didn't want to and I'm really happy that yo-"

"Woah, slow down kid. I'm glad to see you're better." Tony said and sat next to me.

"Once you sign this and I bring it in, it'll be offical." He clarified.

"After that little chat I had with May, I'm happy that neither of us have to see her again. I  really don't want you going back to her." He didn't say it in a demanded way, but more like saying that he didn't recommend it.

I stole the pen from Tony's pocket and quickly signed my name.

"Great. Rhodey, let's keep this a secret."

"Oh, I'm not sure. I'm already holding another one."

"I'd rather let everyone know I'm his son than anyone know about me being Spider-Man." I pointed out.

"I was only joking. I'll keep it. I'm sure you won't like the attention."

"It'll slip out eventually. I just gotta ready myself until then." I gave Tony back the pen and paper.

"Especially if I have to exit from this building everyday for school. Someone is bound to notice."

"If you don't mind me asking, how, exactly, did this spider thing happen?" Rhodey asked.

"Oh, uh, funny story. I was bitten by a radioactive spider." I smiled awkwardly.

"If so, then how has it not affected everyone else?" Tony asked curiously.

"My dad was the one who made them. Before he was killed, he fused his DNA with them so that only others with his DNA would be affected. I guess you could say it's a family thing."

"Your dad made them?"

"Yes, but it's all gone now. The spiders along with the research."

...

It was now Sunday morning and Mr. Stark had promised me to go shopping as it was the first day of being his son. When they papers have first been approved in, he was bubbly, very have and excited way more than any other feeling that I had.

"What we're going to do is get some clothes for you. The things you need for your webbing I can get separatly."

"Really? I don't mean to bother you with this." I said rubbing my arm, something I do when I'm self-conscious, which he already knew that. The little amount of time that we have known each other, we knew more about each other than the others did.

"Look, kid. It's fine. I want to do this. I didn't adopted you for the heck of it. I did it because I care so I'm going to do everything I can for you, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Okay." I said taking a few deep breaths.

"But what about you? People are obviously going to tell who you, are."

"I'll be wearing my glasses with a hat. And if they do tell who is am, then you'll be wearing glasses and a hat." Tony said placing a cap on my head and sunglasses on my face.

"Come on." He took another pair of glasses and a hat and walked to the elevator.

"If there's any reporters, do I have your permission to run?" I asked as the elevator decended.

"Only to the car."

"Eh, good enough." I smiled. Nothing could ruin this day for me. Not Flash. Not May. Not even Stanley.

"Oh, by the way, who is this Flash kid I keep hearing."

"What?" How did he find out about him.

"I put a microphone in your suit. I hear just about everything if it's loud enough. Karen would also tell me things.

"He's just a kid at school."

"But that's not all." He said as we got off the elevator and into the garage.

"I understand that you've got this 'I couldn't do it before so I shouldn't now' thing going on, but you should stick up for yourself. You don't have to do anything big. Just tell him to go away." He explained and I sighed.

"I've tried that many times already, but everytime I do, he makes the situation more difficult. I don't complain because it doesn't hurt so I-"

"Wait, stop." Tony said as we neared one of his cars.

"He hurts you?"

"Well, It doesn't hurt, but if you mean gets physical, then yes, occasionally."

"Peter. Please don't let him do that to you. You don't know if one day he'll bang you in the head or stab you."

"I know, but I cant."

"Look, you've got muscle. Just use that as an excuse as to why you're stronger."

"Mr. Stark, I hope you know that my senses would tell me if there's danger many seconds before it happens."

"I can tell, but please do something about it. And please stop with Mr. Stark. I'm your dad now, Tony will be fine." He smiled.

...

"Now, don't go wild. We need to be able to carry it." Tony informed but seemed excited none the less.

So with twenty minutes of shopping and my hat falling off twice, I had picked out many outfits, mosy of them being puns about science.

Everything was seeming fine until we had put the things in the trunk of the car, when someone had spotted Tony. Mostly because who wears glasses at this time of the year, only a few weeks till Christmas.

"Mr. Stark? Who's the kid?" And many questions followed and Tony pushed me into the car.

"Not much of a run, is it?" He joked and locked the car so no one could get in.

I could hear all the questions, but decided not go pay attention to that but instead to the others trying to see me through the windows. I kept my head down and my cap in place. They couldn't see my face nor my hair so if they tried to find me they only had my clothes and skin color to go by.

Tony had wrapped up the conversation, "I can not tell you. What has happened is a secret that I can't reveal yet."

He got in the car and locked it again for those stragglers.

"That went well. I didn't say anything about you or the Internship. They'll probably be on their toes until something gets revealed. We probably have to get you someone who could take you to school without the big fuss."

"Who else knows of the adoption?"

"Just Rhodey and I. Eventually I'll have to tell the team. And if you needed to know, at school, your name is still Peter Parker. Not even the president would know." That caused me to giggle.